JOHNSTON MOONEY, of Steubenville, was born in Washington county, Penn., June 25, 1811, son of John and Mary (McVay) Mooney. His father, by occupation a farmer, was born in Maryland and was the son of Johnston Mooney, who was a native of Ireland. His mother was a native of Washington county, Penn. When our subject was ten years old his parents removed from Pennsylvania to Jefferson county, and settled on a farm in Island Creek township, where his mother died in about 1838. His father survived a number of years and died at the home of his son Jacob, in Union county, Ohio. At the age of sixteen the subject of this sketch began to serve an apprenticeship of three years at the tailor's trade, at Richmond, Jefferson county. Subsequently he went to Wellsville, Ohio, where he followed his trade one year. At twenty-one years he engaged in a tailoring business for himself, at the mouth of Big Yellow creek, in Jefferson county. He resided there about sixteen, but retired from tailoring at the end of about four years, and during the remaining twelve years conducted a hotel. While there he cast his first presidential vote for Andrew Jackson, in 1832. In the fall of 1847 he was elected treasurer of Jefferson county and in the spring of 1848 he removed to Steubenville and on June 1 took charge of the office. He was re-elected in the fall of 1849, and served two full terms. In 1854 he accepted a position as passanger conductor on the Steubenville & Indiana railway, and he continued in that capacity for a period of twenty-two years, the name of the road during the time being changed to the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis railway. FOr the past ten years his attention has been given to the management of a large flour and feed store in Steubenville, which is the property of his son F. M. Mooney. Mr. Mooney was married January 15, 1835, to Elizabeth H. Murphy, a native of Hampshire county, Va., and daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Hammond) Murphy, natives of the same county. Mr. and Mrs. Mooney had three sons: William H. Mooney, cashier of the Commercial bank of Steubenville; John H. Mooney, an engineer of Mansfield, Penn., and Frank M. Mooney, proprietor of the Pearl flouring mills of Steubenville. After a married life of over fifty-two years, the wife of Mr. Mooney died, January 28, 1887. She was a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which her husband is also affiliated. He is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and Encampment. He has been a resident of Jefferson county, Ohio, nearly seventy years, and the county has no more worthy or honored citizen.